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I forgot to mention;
This is all Maple burl but dyed with a little more conservative colors this time.
Now, time to get back to my cleanup and sanding.

BTW:
35 views and no comments?
It's ok to say something like "the wood looks strange and Mark, you are weird".
Hopefully something friendlier and more constructive than that.
Spike must not be online. If he is.....look, a squirrel!That one gets him every time.

He scrubs it with comet cleanser, then rubs it on the sidewalk where LOOK A SQUIRREL!!!!!!!

I'm supposed to be using Comet too? I usually rub it on the sidewalk and then smear it with some bacon fat.
Boy do I feel like a dumby!
I thought of you the other day when we watched the movie "Up".
Talking dogs that were easily distracted whenever anyone yelled "Squirrel".

Back to cleanup.
When the wood first comes back from being dyed first and then stabilized it looks like this. Very dark.

The exteriors are covered with gunk that may be a little sticky. This is excess resin with some pigment from the dye.
That outer rind is what causes most of the clogging and gunking up of your sanding belts. I remove the exterior with my sander using very course 36 grit. If you go much finer the belts or discs clog faster.

Then I go to 120 grit with the stationary belt sander.

Finally 220 grit with a palm sander.

You have probably noticed the blocks looking a little darker as you get to the finer grits.
That is because the coarser surfaces reflect the light differently hiding a lot of the color.
As you get a smoother surface the coloring and figure begin to stand out a lot more.

This is 220 grit and sprayed with a light coat of lacquer. Not quite as nice as it will look when a handle is properly finished. But enough to show some of the potential.